Hockey

May 14 2013

2013 NHL Playoff Lineups – Round Of 8

playoff image from Fansided

That was an eventful Stanley Cup quaterfinals. The Vancouver Canucks folded and were beated 0-4 by San Jose. Favoured Montreal Canadiens were beaten 1-5 by my Ottawa Senators and the Leafs battled it to 7 games before blowing a 4-1 lead and losing to the Boston Bruins. Detroit made it through, although they had some scares and so did Los Angeles & New York. Now on to the semi finals for both conferences.

Senators vs Penguins – I don’t expect the Senators to win this round. But then I didn’t expect them to beat Montreal either. This squad is fighting like a team and if they can score enough goals they might squeak through. But in all honesty I expect the Pens to win in 6 and go on to win Stanley’s cup.

Bruins vs Rangers – expect it to be high scoring, expect it to be heavy hitting and some battles on the ice. I expect the Rangers to win it in 7 games. This could go down to the wire and it could be a very entertaining series.

Blackhawks vs Red Wings – Detroit are always there in the thick of things, always expected to go far in the playoffs and be regular contenders. They failed to impress this season but that’s due to the very high standards they have maintained. Still I pick Chicago to win in 6.

Kings vs Sharks – Maybe this is the year of the Sharks. If they do go to the finals I’d support them over the Penguins who I also expect to win the Cup in the end. But first San Jose has to get through defending champions LA and this is not gonna be easy. Expect lots of goals and the series to go down to the wire.

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By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Apr 29 2013

2013 NHL Playoff Lineups – Round Of 16

Well the shortened 48 round regular season is over and the playoffs are upon us. I think this year was quite exciting and there was a rush at the end for some teams to catch up on points and make the playoffs. Sad news again this year for the Winnipeg Jets, my second adopted team (read all about the reason why in the archives; just search for Winnipeg Jets in my blog), as they just missed out on qualifying for the playoffs. They seemed to have the points in place but it just didn’t happen for them as they finished at #9 in the East. Calgary & Edmonton failed miserably and the former has some rebuilding of the squad to do this off season (who ever say the Flames trading off Jarome Iginla before the season started).

The Toronto Maple Leafs make it to the playoffs for the first time in 9 years and they look good enough to reach the semis. No playoffs for regulars Philly & New Jersey – look for those teams to be trading some players – and no playoff for Tampa Bay & Carolina again. In the West it seemed for a while that Detroit wouldn’t make it but they knocked in enough goals and wins to finish 7th in that conference. Phoenix failed to qualify and we could finally see that franchise being relocated after 4 years of no ownership & being run by the league itself. What a mess in Arizona, sell the team and relocate to Quebec City already! Dallas doesn’t qualify either.

My Senators did well but they started failing badly towards the end and finished #7 in the East. They play the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. Can Ottawa pull a win here? Who can say? I really wanted the team to trade for some big name & scoring players in order for us to have a chance. I don’t see it happening this year. Can they pull off an upset and beat the Habs? Time will tell.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Mar 28 2013

Calgary Trades Iginla To Pittsburgh

The Calgary Flames have traded Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins. A few years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine the Flames without Jarome. Now, it’s reality. Iginla, the face of the Calgary Flames franchise for more than a decade and captain, was traded Wednesday to the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night in exchange for a couple of forwards currently in the NCAA ranks — Kenneth Agostino and Ban Hanowski — and the 2013 first-round draft choice.

Iginla, who was acquired in the 1995 trade that sent then captain Joe Nieuwendyk to the Dallas Stars, would end his Flames career with 525 goals, 570 assists for 1,095 points in 1,219 regular season games. He has twice won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, claimed the Art Ross Trophy in 2001-02 and the Leaster B. Pearson Trophy in 2001-02 – the players’ award for most valuable player. The deal is the start of a much-needed rebuild for a team which appears destined to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, and been criticized around the hockey world for seemingly being unwilling to go away from icing a veteran-laden team while other clubs are turning to more and more younger players.

With the trade, he joins a Pittsburgh team that’s a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and can team up with Sidney Crosby, with whom he combined for the golden goal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Other players who could be potentially dealt include defencemen Jay Bouwmeester and Mark Giordano, forwards Lee Stempniak, Alex Tanguay and even Curtis Glencross, who also has a no-trade clause. As sad as it to see a committed player & beloved by the fans leaving a team he had always intended to stick around with for the entirity of his career, the Flames badly need to shake things up and rebuild. I fully expect the team to be very active in the summer, making a lot of trades and trying to go for younger players and prospects from the juniors.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Feb 10 2013

Ottawa Senators Update, 10th Feb 2013

Ottawa has had an eventful 7 games since the last update. The Senators closed off January with 2 successive wins on successive nights – a 3-2 against Washinton & a 5-1 against Montreal. But February didn’t start on a good note as they lost 0-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes which was followed by a 1-2 loss to Montreal two days later. After those two away loses, the Sens players were grateful to come back home and score a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. This respite was short-lived however because they welcomed the Hurricanes to the Scotiabank center and lost 3-2 in overtime two days later.

And then last night there was the 0-1 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Jets who will be happy for the revenge for the season opener loss. After 12 games player Ottawa have dropped two spots on the standings (since the last update) and now sit at 6th in the East just below hated Ontario rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa has 6 wins, 4 loses and two OTs for 14 points. In the East New Jersey leads the pack with 17 points and sit at the top but Chicago has 20 points, leading the Eest and the league. In two nights we pay the Sabres at home and the very next evening we travel to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins. With Spezza injured, Kyle Turris & Erik Karlsson lead the points tally for Ottawa with 10 & 9 points respectively. Guillame Lantandrese is also out injured so we need Alfredsson & Michalek to get more goals for us.

Go Sens Go!

By Roshan • Hockey, Ottawa Senators • 0

Jan 28 2013

Ottawa Senators Update, 28th Jan 2013

Time to take a look at the Ottawa Senators and the way their new season has been going. Well this half season since there was a lockout between the NHL & the NHLPA and therefore until a new deal could be agreed upon there were no games! Finally the shortened season started on January 19th and after 5 games played let’s look at the Senators, shall we?

On the 19th the Senators were in Winnipeg for the season opener with a 4-1 away win against the Jets who were celebrating their second season in the league after moving from Atlanta to Manitoba. Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists as the Senators spoiled the Winnipeg Jets’ home opener and pleasing coach Paul McLean. Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Chris Neil scored Ottawa’s other goals. Dustin Byfuglien scored for the Jets. Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots for the Senators, while the Jets’ Ondrej Pavelec faced 37 shots in front of a sellout crowd of 15,004 at MTS Centre. Guillame Lantandrese made his debut for Ottawa. Two days later Kyle Turrisis was back and raring to go as he scored two goals, while Jim O’Brien and Jakob Silfverberg added two more as Ottawa beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,952 Monday night at Scotiabank Place. Turris now has three goals in two games, while Silfverberg’s goal was the first of his NHL career. 3 days later the Sens went to Florida and beat the Panthers 3-1. Anderson made 25 saves, and Chris Phillips and Erik Karlsson scored as the Senators improved to 3-0 while Jason Spezza added an empty netter.

The last two games haven’t gone their way at all though. Friday Jan 25th saw them go down to Tampa Bay 4-6. Eric Condra, Spezza, Karlsson & Turris scored and kept the Sens ahead 4 goals to 2 heading into the 3rd period but the Lightning struck back and won. And just last night they lost in a penalty shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins which atleast sees them earn a point. Colin Greening had the lone goal for the Senators, who dropped to 3-1-1, cancelling the lead that James Neal had given the Pens. But the Pens came out victors in the shootout.

This leaves us 4th in the Eastern Conference with 7 points.

By Roshan • Hockey, Ottawa Senators • 0

Oct 24 2012

New York Islanders To Move To Brooklyn

With the NHL in a lockout, there’s no new season for 2012-03 (as of yet, we might still get half a season if a new CBA agreement is reached soon) and hence I’m low on news hockey wise – till now!

The New York Islanders are set to announce that they will be moving to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York when their lease expires at Nassau Coliseum after the 2014-15 season. The team has called a news conference for this afternoon at the new arena, which will be home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets this season. The news conference will be attended by Islanders owner Charles Wang and general manager Garth Snow, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg among others.

Wang has been lobbying for a new arena for his team for several years. The Nassau Coliseum has been home to the team since it was built in 1972. Wang has been frustrated in his attempts to find a new location in recent years. Last summer, his proposal to build a new arena and keep the Islanders on Long Island was voted down in a referendum by local residents.

This should be a case of same team, same players & staff, same owner but new city, new arena and there they should get a new name by then. It’s a shame as the NY Islanders have such a great history with their dynasty team winning 4 Stanley Cups in the 80s.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Aug 12 2012

PK Subban On The Hour

Montreal Canadiens defenceman PK Subban on the Hour with Strombo. His younger brothers Malcolm & Jordon join in.

By Roshan • Hockey, Video Clip • 0

Aug 3 2012

Alfie To Stay One More Year With Senators

Thirty-nine-year-old captain Daniel Alfredsson stopped the speculation Tuesday and confirmed he won’t be hanging up his skates. Instead, he’ll put on his No. 11 sweater and return for his 17th season with the Senators. Alfredsson confirmed an Ottawa Sun report last week that he’s been talking about an extension with GM Bryan Murray, but said he will play out the final year of his deal at his $1 million salary. That will make him one of the NHL’s best bargains. Alfredsson said he made the decision last week and his wife Bibbi along with his four kids are fully supportive.

Alfredsson said he needed to test himself in rigorous off-season training to see if his body could withstand another NHL campaign before deciding whether to return. The result was positive. Alfredsson will return for a 17th season with the only NHL team he has known and where he has been captain since 1999-2000.

The gifted playmaker and scorer has amassed 416 goals, 666 assists for 1,082 points in 1,131 games — all team records. He holds the same records in the playoffs, with 111 games, 47 goals, 43 assists and 90 points. He had suggested he might retire after last season, when he had 27 goals and 32 assists in 75 games and helped Ottawa reach the playoffs. The Senators lost in seven games in the first round to the New York Rangers. He also said staying on for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia did not factor into his decision as it was too far in the future to contemplate. Alfredsson won Olympic gold in 2006 with Sweden.

Alfredsson’s history goes back to the club’s early years. He was drafted 133rd overall in 1994 by Ottawa, and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1996. The six-time all-star had a career-high 43 goals and 103 points in 2005-06.

By Roshan • Hockey, Ottawa Senators • 0

Jul 31 2012

Miracle

This is a feel good movie, a biopic sports flick based on an actual event that took place in 1980. Ah the 80′s! Miracle is about the “Miracle on Ice”; the US Men’s Hockey team, made up of 20 young college & university players, going on to beat the mighty & powerful Soviet squad of established stars enroute to winning the Olympic Gold at the Lake Placid Games of 1980. They were coached by the legendary Herb Brooks. The opening credits feature a montage of the 1970s, depicting events such as Watergate and the Iran hostage crisis. Then University of Minnesota head coach Herb Brooks interviews with the United States Olympic Committee, discussing his philosophy on how to beat the Soviet team. Despite the fact that they seem very skeptical of his ambitious goal, Brooks is hired. He would go on to state that he had already selected 26 of the players out of which only 20 would get to be in the final squad to represent the United States. In spite of the obvious USA glorification (the “USA, USA” chant is so annoying! Grow up!) and the predictability (tough love shelling out coach, team responds and inspirational music plays as good ole’ America wins, it still is a good movie. Plus it is about hockey, the coolest game on Earth & elsewhere. I would watch a movie based on hockey even it was a 6 on 6 movie about African bush people!!

The team goes through an initial adjustment period – most of the players don;t know each other. A fight breaks out among forward Rob McClanahan and defenseman Jack O’Callahan based on their college rivalry. Brooks lectures the players that they are to let go of old rivalries and start becoming a team. He tortures them after they were distracted and staring at girls while playing a 3-3 draw against Norway in a friendly. Finally he gets what he wants from the player : that they play for their country & for their team. Like he says “The name on the front is a hellofa lot more important than the one on the back”!

O’Callahan gets injured in a warmup game against the Soviets, which the American lose 3 to 7. The players, now with a vigorous team spirit, draw with Sweden in the first game at the Olympics. Their important player, McClanahan, hurts his knee but an argument with coach Brooks entices him to play. They beat the Czechoslovakian team 7-3 and follow it up with victories over Romania and West Germany to earn a spot in the medal round. Up in the semis awaits the Russians. An exciting games ends up in a 4-3 win for the boys in the red, white & blue and they go on to beat Finland in the finals to win gold. It was considered one of the greatest moments in American sports history. You can really enjoy the movie, if you ignore the cliches – but hey, if it were a basketball or NFL movie it would be intolerable!! 8 out of 10!

By Roshan • Hockey, Movies • 0

Jun 23 2012

Brothers In Arms & Hockey Sticks

You can look at it as a younger brother wanting to play with his older brother and does that still happen in their 20s or you can look at it as a rare opportunity of brother playing in highest level of their favoured sport in the same team.

Two of the Staal brothers are being reunited in Carolina. The Pittsburgh Penguins traded centre Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes on Friday for centre Brandon Sutter, the No. 8 pick in 2012 draft and defenceman Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh then selected defenceman Derrick Pouliot of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks with the first-round pick. Eric, the eldest of 4 hockey playing brothers, is captain of the Hurricanes.

“Jordan is an elite two-way player who possesses a rare combination of speed, size, scoring ability and defensive responsibility,” said Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford in a statement. “For his young age, he has a wealth of NHL experience, including winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. “And he is obviously a natural fit for our team in joining our captain, his older brother Eric.”

Jordan Staal has 120 goals and 128 assists in 431 regular-season games with Pittsburgh. He has a career plus-53 rating. The Penguins selected Staal in the first round, second overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. “He’s still only 24 years old. He’s got upside yet,” Rutherford told the Canadian Press. “I think it’s a great fit.”

In another trade during the NHL draft the Dallas Stars have traded forward Mike Ribeiro to the Washington Capitals for forward Cody Eakinand a second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft. The 32-year-old Ribeiro had 18 goals and 45 assists in 74 games last season.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Jun 12 2012

LA Kings Win The Stanley Cup 2012

After 45 long years, including two near-misses in the last week, the Los Angeles Kings have finally been crowned Stanley Cup champions. The party kicked off before the first period even ended Monday as Los Angeles romped to a 6-1 series-clinching victory over the stunned New Jersey Devils.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

May 26 2012

2012 Stanley Cup Finals – LAK vs NJD

Did not see this final coming? I certainly did not and from the looks of it neither did a lot of fans & critics. I’m surprised that both teams have made it to the finals and it’s a credit to both sets of coaching staff & players alike. So too the fans of both teams for they cheered and they believed. Now, who’s gonna win the cup? Starting May 30th we have our finals a best of seven slugfest. LA seems more attack oriented while NY will go defense first.

Will it be a tale of two goalies, a rising star in LA’s young American Jonathan Quick on one end with Hall of Famer, 3 times Stanley Cup winner & hockey legend Martin Brodeur for the Devils? At 40 Marty is in the finals again and it would be great if he could win the cup for the 4th time – what a way to retire!

The LA Kings haven’t been to the finals since their Mark Messier inspired 1994 cup win. I the 18 years since then, the Devils have been to the finals 4 times, this one making it 5, and won Lord Stanley’s cup 3 times. The Kings haven’t been close since. It will be interesting.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

May 14 2012

2012 Playoff : Conference Finals Lineups

#1 vs. #6 #3 vs. #8

Who would have seen this lineup for the conference finals? No many of us fans or critics that’s for sure. The West has two surprise teams reaching the conference finals in the Los Angeles Kings & The Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes who are a franchise in debt and are hanging on due to the NHL owning them and still not yet found an owner (sale is pending). A hockey franchise in the Arizona desert of all places where they have a poor fan attendance and yet they are there. This recent success has brought on rabid attention from the folks in Phoenix but can they sustain it? Will getting that new owner who wants to duke it out in the desert really pay off? Or will the franchise keep losing money as it has been for the past few years? I think it’s time for the Coyotes to say bye to the desert, heck it should have happened 3 years ago, but the players have done their best, forgetting about all the news surrounding the sale & the finances and performed to their best. The Los Angeles Kings have shown to be a very strong team, having finished only at 8th spot in the West but playing like they were #1. Having defeated both the Vancouver Canucks and the St.Louis Blues the Kings are looking good to win the whole deal and bring a first cup to LA. The team looks confident and they don’t seem to have a weak link.

In the East it’s old hands the New Jersey Devils against their hated local rivals the New York Rangers. The Rangers have looked world beaters all season long and it was only a few games that they looked weak. Their fine form continued in the playoffs as they defeated the Ottawa Senators & the Washington Capitals but both series needing a game 7 win. The Devils, 3 times champions since 1995, have usually been in the running for the Stanley season after season. However their star seemed to have waned a bit in the last couple of years and this season they have picked it up with aging goalie Martin Brodeur showing his form of old. New Jersey had to defeat Cinderella team the Florida Panther in 7 games and Philly in 5 and are looking strong. Will the suburbanites be able to defeat Broadway and show them up? Is there a 4th Stanley Cup ring for the Devils and Marty? If NJ does win, it will be a great farewell for Brodeur to retire to. How awesome would that be?

My prediction is an LA vs NY finals.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Apr 27 2012

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs : Semi-finals Lineup

Matchups

St.Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators Philadelphia Flyer vs. New Jersey Devils

Boy I did not see that lineup coming at all. In the West Vancouver & Detroit are out in the first round itself and how. Detroit met their boogie team the Predators who have done themselves proud with that showing. Vancouver battled the LA Kings to a 7th game but it wasn’t enough. In the East Boston lost in the first round to Washington.

So how does the semi-final or second round look? Tough to call in the east but I’m going to stick with my pick for Philly to beat the Devils in 7 (and for Martin Broduer to announce his retirement from the game post that) and for New York to beat the Capitals in 6. As for the West I pick the Blues & the Coyotes to win their respective rounds.

By Roshan • Hockey • 3

Apr 8 2012

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin

Here are the quaterfinal lineups for the Western & Eastern conferences and the head to head record during the season of the teams against their quaterfinal opponent. So who do you think looks good to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup? My Ottawa Senators have done amazingly well to get to the playoffs considering the fact that they were in season 1 of a team rebuilding and were expected to finish dead last by most experts. I think they could reach the second round but that would be it.

Prediction wise, I’d pick a Vancouver vs Detroit Western final and a Boston vs Philly Eastern final with a Vancouver vs Philly final again and this time, I’d pick Vancouver to in the cup.

By Roshan • Hockey • 0

Apr 1 2012

Goon

Goon is another name for an enforcer, which is an unofficial role of a certain type of player in ice hockey. The enforcer’s job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition and when such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies. The 2012 movie Goon is about one such enforcer in minor league hockey. The film is an adaptation of the book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith. Footage from Smith’s career as a hockey enforcer is shown during the films credits.

Directed by Michael Dowse (who was at the helm for FUBAR I & II) on a script written by Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg and stars starring Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber. Co-starring in the movie are Jay Baruchel, Allison Pill, Marc-Andre Grodin, Kim Coates, Eugene Levy, Nicholas Campbell & David Paetkau. Retired hockey player Geroges Laraque also appears in two small scenes, the second of which is inspired by an incident involving him.

Sean William Scott plays Doug Glatt, who lives & works in Massachusetts as a bouncer. He feels like a lesser man because both his father and his brother are doctors. While out to watch a local hockey game with his buddy Pat (Baruchel), who also hosts a local hockey based talk show, an opposing team’s hockey player climbs the stands to beat up Pat, who was taunting him. Doug instead knocks out the player with a punch, drawing cheers from the home crowd. He is noticed by the coach (Campbell) who soon calls him up to try out for the position of enforcer in the local team. Doug joins the team, although his skating skills are bad, and becomes so popular that he is soon called up to join the Halifax Highlanders, a minor league professional team. Meanwhile veteran enforcer and Doug’s idol Ross “The Boss” Rhea (Liev Schreiber) of the St. John’s Shamrocks is serving a 20 game suspension for slashing an opponent in the head from behind.

The star player of the Highlanders is Xavier Laflamme (Grondin) who was hit by Rhea and suffered a concussion. has had trouble recovering from that incident due to the fear of being hit, being stuck in the minors and falling in with the wrong crowd. Doug, who gets the nicknamed ‘The Thug’ is to shadow & protect Laflamme and the two also become roommates. The team starts experiencing some success with Doug protecting the goal scorers and soon they have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. There is a lot of ribbing & making fun of each other in the team as Doug is fully integrated into the team and everyone except Laflamme has taken to him. Doug also meets and falls in love with Eva (Allison Pill) although she has a boyfriend. She later dumps her boyfriend who doesn’t seem that involved with her. On a road game against the Quebec team, Doug savagely hits an opposing player, who concusses Laflamme with a heavy hit, knocking him unconscious. Dough is suspended for the next game against a returning Rhea and the St. John’s Shamrocks.

The two accidentally meet at a diner the night before the game where they admit their respect for each other. However Rhea dismisses Doug’s claim that he is a hockey player, calling him a goon. Rhea warns him that if they ever meet on the ice, he will “lay him the fuck out.” The Highlanders, with Doug suspended and Laflamme hospitalized, lose to the Shamrocks. After this game Doug reaches out to Laflamme telling him to not worry and that he has his back. The two become close and the team wins the next game 2-1 and in the dying seconds, Doug blocks a shot on goal and his face is bloodied by the rebound shot. In the ensuing scramble, his ankle is broken when a player steps on it with the sharp edge. The next game is their final before the playoffs with the Highlanders needing a win to qalify. Rhea & Doug spar midway through the game and it’s a tough fight between a veteran and the newcomer. Doug is knocked down but gets up and breaks Rhea’s nose with a heavy punch, however hurting his own ankle in the process. Doug is helped to the locker room by Eva while the team goes on to win 3-2 and qualify. His last words before the win are “I think I nailed him”.

Very well shot and some good work by the actors. Sean William Scott is actually a good actor – who the heck knew? Schreiber is so bad ass & cool in his role as the retiring veteran. Allison Pill is so cute & sweet. I really enjoyed the movie, hockey fan that I am. 8 out of 10!

By Roshan • Hockey, Movies • 0

Mar 15 2012

My Questions Gets Asked In Linden’s TV Interview

Time for some hockey related stuff. Retired hockey star Trevor Linden recently appeared on Vancouver based talk show Urban Rush with hosts Mike Eckford & the absolutely ravishing Fiona Forbes. A few days before the interview the hosts had asked the Twitterverse if us fans had any questions for Trevor. I had tweeted to Fiona a question for Trevor (using my Twitter id @countroshculla) – and guess what – it’s featured on the show!

Thanks to Mike & Fiona for choosing my question to be on the air during the interview. It was fun to see it up there on their giant screen.

By Roshan • Hockey, Television, Video Clip • 0

Feb 24 2012

Anderson Injures Hand; Out Indefinitely

The Ottawa Senators season was dealt a massive blow when Craig Anderson suffered a serious cut while preparing food at his home late Wednesday following a victory over the Washington Capitals. GM Bryan Murray could be forced to go shopping for a goalie — with Monday’s trade deadline fast approaching – after the club’s No. 1 netminder suffered his injury which could possibly put him out for several weeks.

While the Senators confirmed Anderson is out “indefinitely” but is expected to make a full recovery, sources told the Ottawa Sun he’ll be gone 10 days and possibly more, and has to be examined by a specialist. A source said the worst-case scenario for this type of injury is 6-8 weeks. A source said surgery was required on the 30-year-old Anderson, who was still in hospital Thursday. He was supposed to sign autographs at an Orleans car dealership Thursday night and didn’t show. The Senators are expected to recall goalie Robin Lehner from their AHL affiliate in Binghamton in time for practice Friday in Ottawa.

One of the NHL’s busiest goalies, he has played in 27 of the club’s past 28 games and 56 overall. A major part of the Senators’ success, Anderson has a 29-19-6 record with a 2.86 GAA and .913 save percentage. He’s also coming off a 32-save performance in the 5-2 victory over the Capitals. Backup Alex Auld, meanwhile, has started just seven games this season, going 2-3-2 with a 3.28 GAA and a .883 save percentage.

Lehner’s numbers with a young Binghamton team haven’t been sparkling, either. After helping the Baby Sens win the Calder Cup last spring, Lehner is 8-16-1 this season with 3.38 GAA and .905 save percentage. As the Senators prepare to face the Boston Bruins Saturday at home, Murray has to decide whether he’ll go get another goalie as insurance or stick it out with Auld and Lehner until Anderson is ready to return. The goalie market is thin – possible targets are Josh Harding, Evegni Nabakov or Antero Niittymaki.